BOW Winter Class Corrections

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minnesota department of natural resources

Becoming an Outdoors Woman Upcoming Classes

Winter 2025

Winter Workshop

BOW Winter Workshop!

January 24 - 26, 2025, Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center, Sandstone, MN, fee $210. Online registration is open at BOW Winter Workshop registration .

Join us this January at Osprey Wilds for our Winter Workshop! New classes this year include wood carving, tracking and how to plant for pollinators. We will also have our favorite classes including dark house fishing, ice fishing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and more. Workshops are a great way for women to learn skills and meet other women who are also interested in the outdoors. Fee includes two nights lodging, all meals, instruction, equipment, and fun!


turkey hunt

Turkey Hunting Archery Series

Women who want to improve their archery target shooting and then build on that experience by learning how to bow hunt are encouraged to enroll in the archery series that begins this month. You can register for one or all the sessions. For those hunting, sessions 4 - 5 are required. For more details and to register email linda.bylander@state.mn.us.

Session 1: Archery hunting basics webinar. This webinar is recorded and available for viewing at Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series. Select past webinars then use the search tool under hunting to find the webinar 48 Archery Hunting Basics. BOW volunteer Desiree Holmberg discusses archery equipment and hunting basics. 

Session 2: Women’s archery shop basics and target practice, Archery Country, Rogers, MN, Date & Time TBD, fee $25. This session introduces women to the services provided at archery shops and then concludes with practice shooting at the indoor range. Equipment is provided.

Session 3: Women’s archery practice, for beginners, A-1 Archery, Hudson, WI, April 2, 7 p.m., fee $30. This class includes equipment and is set up for beginner archers who would like to learn how to safely handle archery equipment and shoot a bow. Our focus will be on safety, range rules, proper form and technique. 

Session 4: Turkey hunting clinic, A-1 Archery, Hudson, WI, April 3, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., free. This class is required for women participating in the May archery hunt. This in-person clinic is also open to the public and will focus on the basics of archery turkey hunting. The DNR website also has a pre-recorded videos on how to hunt turkeys.

Session 5: Turkey hunting broadhead sight-in, tips and tricks, A-1 Archery, Hudson, WI, April 19, 1 p.m., fee $25. This class is required for the women who are participating in the MN DNR's BOW turkey hunt May of 2025. Women must have their own equipment and should bring along one practice broadhead so that we can sight in their bows. We will also cover some tips and tricks to help you be successful in the blind. 

Session 6: 3-D Archery shoot, April 26, Chilakoot Bowhunters Club, Stillwater, MN, time 10 a.m., fee $20. This 3-D shoot is open to the public. This class is required for women attending the BOW turkey hunt May of 2025.  Women will be grouped together to practice shooting outdoors at 3-D targets to learn when and where to shoot and to gauge shooting distance. Bring your own archery equipment to this shoot.

Session 7: Women’s mentored archery turkey hunt, May, Date TBD, East Bethel, MN, fee TBD. Women will hunt two days with a mentor. This hunt is limited to 10 hunters. 


nordic walk

Women Programming

Winter Walk (Nordic Pole Walk), January 11, 11 a.m. - Noon, Dowling Elementary School, Minneapolis, fee $2 pole rental if needed, to register email okeykay@gmail.com.

Let’s get out and enjoy winter. We will plan to walk for an hour along the river parkway, poles and a quick intro to basic technique available for newbies. All walkers are encouraged to walk a pace and distance comfortable for their fitness level. 

LOCATION CHANGE: Nordic Pole Walking Introduction Class, May 6, 4 p.m., Dowling Elementary School, Minneapolis, fee $15, to register email okeykay@gmail.com.

This is an introductory class to this exciting fitness activity.  Anyone can do it! It takes a simple walk and turns it into a full body workout, and it doesn’t feel like you are working any harder. Increase your heart rate, burn more calories, strengthen your upper body and create resistance to build better bone density. Poles are provided.

CANCELLED: St. Croix Kayak Spring Paddle, this class is cancelled.


No Child Left Inside Grants

Funding for No Child Left Inside grants are now available for projects occurring in 2025-2026. Applications are due at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, December 17.

Since 2019, the No Child Left Inside grant program has offered reimbursable grant funds to nonprofit organizations who introduce Minnesota youth to outdoor recreation and natural resource education. Continued funding will total one million dollars and will prioritize access for underserved youth audiences and English language learners.

For more information visit the No Child Left Inside DNR website at No Child Left Inside grants | Minnesota DNR.


Free Family Webinars

These webinars are part of the Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series that aims to give participants quick, relevant information on upcoming seasons and events and skills to help enjoy the outdoors.

Webinars are live on Wednesday starting at noon. For more details or to view past webinars and to register for upcoming webinars visit Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series.

  • December 11 - Flying squirrels
  • December 18 - Outdoor winter activities for kids and families
  • January 8 - Red-headed woodpecker research and recovery
  • January 15 - Ice fishing with tip-ups
  • January 22 - Oak wilt identification with prevention for Minnesotans
  • January 29 - Fishers in Minnesota
  • February 5 - Outdoor classes at school are cool
  • February 12 - Status of the American Chestnut in Minnesota
  • February 19 - Loving the unlovable - appreciating birds we love to hate
  • February 26 - Reading the landscape

Becoming an Outdoors Woman Program (BOW)

The BOW program provides hunting, fishing, and non-consumptive outdoor skills classes to women in a safe and supportive environment. BOW works cooperatively with DNR staff, volunteers, and outside agencies to provide opportunities for women to learn skills. BOW is guided by a volunteer steering committee. To find out more, visit the BOW Website.

Do you want to stay informed about upcoming fisheries, wildlife and habitat management activities and ways that you can discover, explore, and experience Minnesota’s outdoors? Then sign up for Minnesota Fishing and Minnesota Wildlife email notifications available for free on the DNR website. Updates are also available for state parks, scientific and natural areas, the Eagle Cam, and more.

Visit the DNR's Learn to Hunt and Learn to Fish web pages to learn how to hunt or fish a variety of species.